


At the World's Edge

by opalmatrix



Category: Imperial Radch Series - Ann Leckie
Genre: Childhood, Siblings, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-08-01 18:53:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16289921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/opalmatrix/pseuds/opalmatrix
Summary: Tic begins to learn how to be not-Geck—reluctantly.





	At the World's Edge

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sath](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sath/gifts).



The land was a spine of sharp-edged hills some 200 kilometers long and only 30 to 70 kilometers wide. This part of it had a wide beach of stone shards that hurt Tic's feet. The people from space had brought shoes and sandals, but Tic didn't want them. Geck didn't wear shoes.

Geck didn't have feet.

Tic was sitting on a slab of rock that had been left partially exposed by low tide. His clothes were in a little heap farther inland. Thousand Bright Bubbles Rising was lazing in the shallows just below him, stirring idly in the water. It was cool up here in the north. Tic Uisne shivered in the breeze and slipped into the water. Bubbles bumped against him gently. "What means that movement, Tic Uisne?"

"My skin does it when I'm cold. Trying to warm me up."

"Funny." Bubbles undulated thoughtfully. "You don't do it in the water."

"The air has colder currents than the water," said Tic. He was actually pretty sure that the water could get much colder too, but there was a huge warm current that flowed from the north and the equator to Geck Landing Zone. That's why the landing was here, instead of on some other hard, Gecks-forsaken piece of rock: it was warmer here than on any of the other islands.

"Strange you are not with us," said Bubbles. "There is an empty place now, Tic Uisne, Once Removed Clutchmate."

Tic spread his arms wide and pressed his chest and face against Bubbles' side. Why hadn't he grown gills? At least Bubbles had come back to visit. She wasn't properly Tic's clutchmate, but rather the spawn of one of the true Geck who had been hatched near the time when Tic was born. Humans grew up much more slowly than Geck. "I miss you guys too," he whispered.

Bubbles shifted, partially enfolding Tic in her body, and rocked him in the shallow water, her color changing to a lighter green. "Tell me what you learn from the space humans,"

He didn't want to. He was learning things Geck didn't learn, mostly. But … . "I've been learning to control different kinds of mechs."

Bubbles stirred and shifted into a better listening position, a pseudo-head resting on his shoulder. "Mechs are good. Mechs are useful," she said.

Tic bobbed in agreement. "They say we make the best mechs! I'm learning to control two at once."

"Excellent. I cannot do that. Geck mechs are without a doubt the best mechs. A good thing, that people from outside the world know this. Our mothers say good learners deserve rewards. See what is here, that they sent." Bubbles extruded a carrying pod from within her mass and pushed it toward him. Tic grabbed it before the undertow could take it and popped it open.

"Greenie worms!" They were the best kind. He hadn't had them in forever.

For a few moments, it was like being back in Deep Blue Wells. He munched the worms, savoring their briny, rich taste and sharing them with Bubbles. He could pretend the water was warmer, pretend that the floating dark blue-green weeds with their myriad tiny twiglets were the brilliant yellow and pale green ribbons that grew in the bay in which their clutch had hatched.

Except humans didn't hatch. But that was where all of them had learned to swim.

_Why didn't my gills come in?_

"Tic Uisne!"

He pretended that he didn't hear.

"Student Tic Uisne! Report!"

"Who calls you, Tic?" asked Bubbles.

"Teacher Embergen," whispered Tic. The teacher was an overbearing young man from Omkem. He hadn't even known how to swim until he came to the Geck. And he'd still only done so in the pool in the base complex.

"Night comes," said Bubbles. "Go to the teacher. Make us proud. I will tell your mother how well you are doing."

"She has gills," cried Tic. "Why don't I?"

Bubbles nudged him gently. "Some things are beyond knowing. Your clutchmates grew gills, and they are all gone beyond the Great Deep. But you are still in the waters of life, even if you must live here at the edge of the world. Go. Learn. Maybe you will visit the stars, and return to tell us what they are like."

"No," sulked Tic. But he stuffed the last handful of worms into his mouth and climbed up onto the rock. Teacher Embergen looked worried and stormy. Tic sauntered over with deliberate slowness, letting the ends of the worms dangle from his mouth, twitching.

Teacher Embergen noticed the worms. He put one hand over his mouth and turned away. Tic felt a dismal triumph as he swallowed the last of his treat. The teacher gagged and then took a deep breath before he turned back. "Wh-what was that?"

"Greenie worms. My favorite." And then, deliberately twisting the claw: "I'm sorry I didn't save you any, teacher."

"Th-that's quite all right, Tic. Come on, now. Get dressed. It's supper time."

Tic put on his clothes, which still felt wrong. He followed Embergen slowly up the hard slopes of rock to eat dry, dead food with the people who had lived their whole lives without ever dipping a toe in living water .


End file.
